


The Gifted Path

by reijeux



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: (the physical bit is only for one part), Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gen, Physical Abuse, Slurs, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-12
Updated: 2014-06-12
Packaged: 2018-02-04 10:37:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1776061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reijeux/pseuds/reijeux
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A take on Levi's childhood and how it involved two important people. Definitely spoilers starting from Chapter 56)</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Gifted Path

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE NOTE that I wrote this RIGHT AFTER Levi's last name was revealed, with help from this comic http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=42920315 .  
> I originally wasn't going to post it, but now that enough time has passed, I figured WHY NOT, even though by now, we actually know much more about Kenny etc. to the point where we understand they didn't have a nice house, Kenny's probably pretty OOC, and Levi is probably 100000x OOC with him, like at this point, I'm pretty sure he was an actual fireball when it came to dealing with Kenny's shit. (Also, this version involves Levi being from "the Orient" which I'm still doubting now, BUT MOVING ALONG)
> 
> THAT ASIDE, OTHER THINGS to note:  
> Levi is probably around 10-11. Brother is around 14-15.  
> "Father" is obviously Kenny.  
> "Brother" is really obvious by the end.

He couldn’t remember who his parents were—just the rats that scattered whenever a light would fill the near-vacant room when he was brought food, or pulled out to be shown customers. For as long as he could remember, he was out in the streets, fending for himself until he was snatched up by traffickers for being “rare” and “from the Orient.”

Because he was still a child, those interested in having him could only pay to look until he turned twelve. Then, as per “the ancient customs of the Orient,” as he keeps hearing from the people who’ve kept him locked up, his virginity would be sold to the highest bidder.

“He’s small for his age.” An older man circled him, studying him as closely as all the others. He wasn’t phased—he was used to this.

“Of course. He’s an Oriental.”

“I see.” The man looked away, pulling something from his pocket. “I want to buy him.”

The owner looked taken aback for a moment, before shaking his head, “Sorry, no can do. People of his type are rare nowadays. Y’know how much cake I can rake in on this kid alone?”

“Let me rephrase that.” The look in the man’s eyes grew dark. “I am going to buy him.” 

“Did you fuckin’ hear me-”

The boy had never seen so much blood in his life; it gushed from the owner’s neck, not sparing the boy nor the man from the sudden splatter as he crumpled to the ground. The boy could only stare, unfazed as if it were all just a dream while the man crouched in front of him, putting his knife away to pull out a handkerchief.

“You’ll be coming with me.” He said, wiping the blood off the boy’s face. “Do you have a name?”

The boy shook his head. At one point, he had a name—but he had been called so many other things for so long that it somehow slipped away.

“I see. Well, I will give you one.” The man held his hand out for him to take, emitting an aura that the boy felt he could entrust himself to. He placed his small hand in the other’s.

“From now on, your name will be Levi. You may call me Father.”

He could put his faith in this man.

The man held his hand and stood back up; he didn’t pull on him, he didn’t yell at him to walk, no. His hand felt warm as he walked out alongside the child, walking at a slow enough pace that he could keep up with.

And for the first time in years, he opened his mouth and spoke, voice barely existent as he wanted to try out his new name.

“Levi.”

-

After being washed and bought nicer clothing to wear, the house he was taken to was larger than the grimy buildings he was used to of the underground. It was… _clean_. The grass around it was _green_ , and there were actual flowers that have been planted in the flowerbeds against the house.

Father gently pulled on his hand to walk him inside.

“This is your new home. You will be living with us.”

 _Us_?

There were other people here?

Of course, Levi wasn’t surprised—if houses out here were anything like the homes in the underground, this even bigger place should be _packed_ with people.

…But if it was packed on the inside, it sure didn’t look like it on the outside.

He tightened his grip on Father’s hand, following him into the house. To his surprise, it didn’t look like it was crawling with people at all.

In fact, it seemed _very_ empty—minus the properly-cared-for furniture arranged in an orderly fashion.

A boy, much taller than him with hair as bright as the sun, walked through one of the doorways with a piece of bread hanging from his mouth, unaware of their presence until he turned in their direction.

“Oh--! Father, you’re back!”

So, this boy lived here as well. Levi didn’t know if he wanted to like him at all. The boy looked at him questioningly, pausing his eating at mid-chew.

“This is Levi. He is going to be living with us from now on. Get along with him, hm?” Father gave Levi’s shoulder a gentle squeeze; Levi expected the boy to give him a dirty look for associating with Father—he was used to those kinds of looks when actual couples came to see him in the underground and one of the spouses would get jealous.

However, the boy did not give him such a look at all. In fact, he looked more curious than anything. What was going through his head?

Did he look _that_ odd to him?

Before the bright haired boy could give any kind of response, Father began to lead Levi away.

“Let’s get you to your room. You must be tired.”

Levi nodded, still not used to his own voice enough to give him a proper answer. He glanced back at the boy, who resumed eating his bread as he scratched the back of his head, leaving for another room.

Father led him up a flight of stairs, taking him down a hallway containing many closed doors, until they reached one at the end of the hall. Father opened it, letting him inside.

“This will be your bedroom. Do to it as you see fit, but keep it tidy.”

“Mn.” Levi nodded, eyes lit in curiosity as he scanned the room. He still felt like all of this was only a dream, and when he woke up, he’d be back in that disgusting room. Skin crawling, he rubbed his arm to calm down.

“The bathroom is right next door.” Father gestured into the hall. “We will buy you a new wardrobe after you get your rest.” He placed a hand on Levi’s head, gently patting it. “Help yourself to food in the kitchen if you’d like; dinner won’t be fixed until later.” Levi nodded, turning around to watch him walk away.

As soon as Father was gone, Levi looked back in the room. The bed was much higher than the beds he was used to, but he had no problem climbing onto it.

Sitting on the bed, he lightly bounced on it, surprised at how unbelievably soft it was. A part of him believed that if he were to sleep now, he wouldn’t wake up in the same room. The other part wanted to trust that this entire situation was real and he was away from _that_ place for good.

Years in the dumps, though, taught him never to get his hopes up. Being in this place seemed too good to be true—there definitely had to be a catch.

-

The following day, Father took him down into the basement; even though he didn’t have his hopes up, his gut still fell as he realized there really was a catch.

Expecting to be told to take his clothing off, as what the owner would say whenever people would come to look at him, he was surprised when he was handed a wooden dagger instead.

“You are going to start your training today.” Father said. Levi looked at the dagger, clutching it tight in his hand as a wave of relief he had never felt before rushed through him. “You will learn how to fight, and you will learn how to kill.”

Levi looked up at him, feeling as if he could do _anything_ for this man. He nodded.

He was definitely going to pay this man back one day. He would pay him back and make him proud.

As he trained, day-by-day, he grew to discover that the bright haired boy did not go through the same kind of training as he himself did. In fact, Father told him that this training was to be their little secret, so he was not allowed to tell anyone.

Levi was fine with that; it was nice to be able to have a secret of his own, one that neither the owner nor the people who came to gawk at him would know.

Even so, he didn’t see too much of the bright haired boy over the next week, except for when they were having a meal together. The boy himself seemed to be an intelligent sort, usually at school or messing around outside with his friends.

Levi would hear them laughing and yelling right outside his window whenever school was out; he would find himself watching them play, quietly wishing he could take part in the fun as well. Father told him to do as he pleased when he was not training, and while he wanted to play, he didn’t know if he wanted to associate with these boys.

On this day, they seemed to be playing some sort of ball game, kicking it around and going so far as to tossing it about. Levi couldn’t tell if there were any rules by the way they were playing, but…

The bright haired boy kicked the ball elsewhere as it came to him, laughing when it flew further than any of his friends could get to it. As they complained and yelled at him, he glanced up at the window, catching Levi watching.

Levi tensed up and ducked away from the window, mentally beating himself for getting caught. Now the boy would think he actually wanted to join in and would just rub in his face that he couldn’t. He walked out of the room to get a glass of water, ignoring the sound of the front door opening as he thought it was just Father returning from one of his daily errands.

“Levi! Levi!” As soon as he came down the stairs, the blonde boy came crashing into the side of him; instinct from the training forced him to maneuver his arm and ram his fist into the boy’s stomach. Realizing what he had done (and not realizing his own strength) as soon as the boy let out a pained grunt, Levi stepped back and glanced at his own fist before looking back at the boy.

“Sorry…” He had gotten better about speaking, albeit slowly. He was concerned for the blonde, unsure of what kind of punishment Father would unleash on him if he was badly hurt.

The boy coughed a bit, rubbing his stomach with a pained face. He looked at Levi, and the pained expression washed away, only to be replaced with that of awe.

“Whoa… you don’t look angry at all!” Why was he shocked? Was the boy expecting him to be angry? Of course, the collision was unexpected, but neither of them really saw it coming…

Suddenly, the blonde grabbed Levi’s wrist and began to pull him out, “C’mon, play with us!” Levi opened his mouth to decline, but the taller boy looked at him. “We’re brothers now, aren’t we?”

 _Brothers_?

The bright haired boy gave him a toothy grin as he pulled him outside.

“Hey guys, mind if my bro joins us?”

Levi found himself shocked at the responses of agreement that chorused over the boys. As Brother placed the ball in his hands, he looked at him questioningly.

“Just toss it anywhere!”

As he said that, a new kind of excitement washed over him—a slight smile teased the edge of his lips and he threw the ball.

Father stood at the front door, having just returned from his errands; he watched as the boys play with obvious disapproval over his features.

Levi was oblivious; he couldn’t remember ever laughing as he did in his life.

Later that evening, Father made Levi train extra hard with no explanation why he was being so strict.

-

Over the next few months, Levi would find himself hanging around Brother more and more. There were days when they’d play with the boys, and there were others when it would just be the two of them, having an ice cream (something Brother introduced him to) or the likes.

Levi found a new kind of happiness with this kind of life, and he grew to dread the training Father would put him through. He didn’t want to fight, he wanted to play.

He wanted to play, go to school, and make some of his own friends.

He also wanted to make Father happy. Father’s happiness mattered just as much as his own, if not more.

Maybe Father would understand if he told him…

“No.”

Maybe he wouldn’t understand.

“But Father…”

“You will stay home and hone your skills.”

Levi felt his heart fall, “But I don’t want to…” Something he shouldn’t have said.

He was struck and lost his balance, hitting the ground with a thud. The shock of the contact was enough to leave him on the floor for a moment as he tried to process what Father just did.

“I took you into my home. I feed you, clothe you, and you don’t want to return the favor, is that it?”

“N-no, I--!” He was struck again.

“Do you think you can just do as you please?!”

“I just want to…!” Tears stung the corners of his eyes as he was struck once more.

“You want to _what_?”

“I…” His hope came crashing down. “…I’ll keep training…” Levi’s response seemed to be enough for Father, and he knelt down, helping him back up to his feet. The boy held back his urge to cry as the man wrapped his arms around him, giving him a tender hug.

“That’s what I thought,” he said. “Good boy. You’re a good boy, Levi. My pride and joy.”

 _But_ _why_ …?

Since the discussion, Levi never left his room unless it was to train, eat, or use the bathroom. Brother would come by and try to get him out of the room, but he made sure to keep the door locked, and ignored him as much as he could.

He asked Father if he could start eating meals on his own, to which Father gave permission.

Levi was suddenly a prisoner once again.

-

He was given a test.

He supposed he passed—since it was his first test, he made many mistakes and the results came out messy.

Blood did not faze him, luckily.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, earning that gentle squeeze that he had learned to crave ever since he had cut off communication with all of his friends and Brother.

“You did well, Levi.”

He let out a soft breath. All he really wanted was to be praised by Father, and he earned it. He could earn more praises if he was obedient enough. All that mattered now was Father’s approval with everything he did.

Levi clutched the knife, grip slick with the crimson fluid, as he eyed the large, slumped body in front of him.

He passed the test for sure.

He needed to pass all of the tests.

-

It had almost been a year since Levi arrived in the Ackerman household. He had constantly been praised by Father, and had even been told that he is well on his way to becoming an even better fighter than Father himself. He didn’t think so, but Father insisted.

He was happy.

However, the sounds of boys playing were no longer heard outside his room. He only quietly missed those sounds.

At some point, Brother stopped trying to get him to come out, leaving him alone.

He was alright with that.

But he was taken by surprise one day when he was approached by the blonde boy at a time when he was supposed to be at school. Levi was on his way to the kitchen when Brother grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side, lowering his voice.

“Levi.”

“Ah…”

“Levi, you need to get out of here. Let’s run away.”

The small boy stared at him, confused as to why Brother would suddenly say something like this.

“What are you going on about…?”

Had he been crying?

“We _need_ to leave. I-I have a friend who can take us in for a while until I can get a better job and can move us somewhere else, yeah? And… and you won’t have to do any killing!” Levi paled as the words left his mouth. How did he know what he was doing? Did Father tell him?

Levi couldn’t leave… Father would find him… or even, he would find him and beat him… maybe he’d beat Brother, too.

“I can’t go…”

“Why not? He’s _using_ you!”

“I have to stay…”

“You _don’t_.”

Levi pulled away his arm.

“…Sorry.”

Brother looked at him for a moment before breathing out and furrowing his eyebrows.

“…I’ll be leaving tonight. If you change your mind before then…”

Levi only shook his head.

“Still. Let me know.” Brother pat his arm. “…And know that no matter what, we’re brothers.”

The smaller boy couldn’t look at him as the blonde walked away.

A small part of him told him to take the chance and go. The bigger part of him told him to stay and be good for Father.

The bigger part won over, and Levi managed to look outside at the right time that night to find Brother leaving the house with only a couple belongings.

Suddenly, the house seemed even more gloomy than it already was, and Levi found himself rubbing his eyes as Brother grew blurry thanks to the tears in his vision.

How strange.

He thought he was too tough to cry.

-

As years went by, Levi was aware of how much stronger he was getting—but he was also growing aware of how wrong Father’s seemed for training him as he did.

Or at least…

He believed Father was wrong. While Father continuously worked into his head that anyone of the military, let alone the _Scouting Legion_ , was pure evil—and while Levi would have this belief stick with him for years—he just couldn’t help but feel that something was not right with this picture at all.

Something inside him continuously told him how he needed to stop listening to this man, how this man really was using him—how he _should have_ gone with Brother when he had the chance.

Father only mentioned Brother in passing once since he had left. It was when he talked about him that Levi realized how messed up his life really was, and how he needed to leave.

“Don’t stop training, Levi. You don’t want to go _soft_ like that foolish boy.”

Levi did not believe he was foolish. He believed Brother was a gentle, kind, _smart_ boy. He realized that Brother _knew_ what was happening, and wanted to put a stop to it.

Levi, he himself realized, was the soft one. He was _scared_ of Father. _Terrified_ of him. He needed to get out of that house and out from under Father’s control.

When he left, it was in the dead of night, just like Brother.

When he left, he did not leave behind a note, and only took with him some food and the clothes he was wearing.

The next several years passed, Levi went from moving back underground, becoming a well-known name among the gangs—to being forced into the Scouting Legion and taking the name of humanity’s strongest soldier.

Not a day went by when he _didn’t_ think of Brother or even how Father was doing. Sometimes, he wished he could find out; however, asking someone to find out would reveal him and who he was before he was the “Legendary Levi” from underground.

He did not realize he would get some answers on the day of Eren Yeager’s trial.

Before the trial, he had read the report; the report went over what happened the entire day and who was involved.

Eren Jaeger.

Armin Arlert.

Mikasa Ackerman.

Levi furrowed his eyebrows, scanning the names again. _Ackerman_?

Strange… he couldn’t think of any Ackerman who would join—

It all made sense the moment attention was brought to this Ackerman in court. She barely looked like her father, but his features _were_ there.

Brother had a daughter.

The current situation didn’t allow him to think too much on it, but he was glad Brother was doing alright. However, Brother did not seem like the type of person who would let his own children join the military—not for the same reasons as Father, but just because he would want to keep them safe.

So why was she—

“It sounds unbelievable, but when these two were both nine, they stabbed to death three adult robbers.”

 _What_?

But what happened? Why…?

It was only later that evening, when Levi decided to sneak through cadet files, that he found out her parents were dead.

Brother is dead.

He’s dead.

He’s dead.

He’s dead.

“ _We’re brothers now, aren’t we?_ ”

He’s dead.

“ _Know that no matter what, we’re brothers._ ”

 _He’s dead_.

Levi set the file down and slumped back in his chair. The bright haired boy who brought him out of his shell was gone.

After all these years, he felt even more hurt about it than he realized.

However, Brother’s daughter was someone he knew he would need to watch from afar. Keep her safe the best he can without making any connections obvious. He could do it. It was possible.

It was the least he could do for Brother.

Put his soul at ease.

Levi had regrets, but even he knew there was no point in doing so. The only thing he could do now was to keep moving forward and redeem himself.

He knew that Brother would still be proud of him no matter what; he knew he would be proud of the person his daughter has become.

Levi refused to let _Father_ come in contact with her. He did not want anyone else to become the victim he himself was.

It should be easy.

… _Right_?

 


End file.
